Suspension device



May 9, 1933. R. c. P. WEBSTER SUSPENSION DEVICE Filed March 21, 1932 Mart BBL/935251" l atented May 9, 1933 UNITED. STATES ROBERT CHILION PETER WEBSTER, oEMAI'rL -n ONTARIO, onnnnn V V 1 P NT OFFIC SUSPENSION DEVICE Application fi led March 21, 1932, Serial No. 600,243, and ill Canada March 2, 1932.

This invention relates to an arrangement for suspending objects, and more particularly to an arrangement for suspending pictures and the like on a wall.

The present method of hanging pictures or like objects, which consists in attaching a wire to the back of the picture and passing this wire overa hook attached to the wall,

has a number of disadvantages. Of these the most important is that a picture hung by this method invariably slips over to a non-horizontal position owing to vibration, draughts, jars in cleaning and other causes. Moreover, with the present method hanging of the picture is attended by a number of difiiculties. In hanging pictures it is almost always considered desirable that the hanging means should not show. In order to achieve this the wire loop attached to the picture must be made so short that when passed over the hook on the wall it will hold the upper edge of the picture high enough to conceal this hook. If, however, the wire is made of this short length it is diflicult to hang the picture since as the latter is being held the wire cannot be seen or easily caused to pass over the hook on the. wall. When close to the picture in the act of hanging it, difliculty is almost always experienced in adjusting it to a true horizontal level and one must survey the effect at some distance and usually make one or more readjustments before the desired result is achieved. These difficulties, and particularly the last'mentioned, are aggravated if hanging is efifected at a height such that the position of the person hanging the picture may not be entirely secure.

Once the picture has been hung, a further disadvantage. of the present hanging method often becomes evident. Almost all picture wire stretches to a certain extent in use and loosens at the point of its connection to the shown in Figure 4;

picture. Thus, even if the wire loop on the picture were originally short enough to cause the picture. to hide the hook on the wall, it frequently happens that the wire stretches and the hook appears, with the result that the picture must be taken down and the wire shortened.

By my invention I propose to simplify the process of hanging pictures and eliminate all the d1sadva'ntages' of the present method mentioned above; My invention consists essentially in a strip having a portion of channel formation extending along one side thereof, one such strip being attached to the wall 111 such a way thatits channel portion extends along its lower'side and another strip bemg fastened to the picture so that its channel portion extends along its upper side. The

twochannel portions are then caused" to engage wlth one'another and the picture is held securely m a vertical direction but left free to slide in a horizontal direction.- I -Us1ng the arrangement just outlined,-exa ct positioning of the strip attached to the wall is unnecessary, since if a slight vertical adustment of the picture 1S found necessary, it may be effected by moving the strip attached tothe picture and horizontal adjustment is effected without moving either strip. Once the picture has been hung it cannoteasily move out of position and is positivelyh eld in the horizontal plane in which the wall strip was positioned. Moreover,the hang ing means are immovably held out while the i picture is hanging. I

Myinvention will now be described in a. more detailed manner with reference to the attached drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of one form of strip according to my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modi fied form of strip especially adapted for attachmentto' a picture. 5

Figure 4 is a perspective View of a strip of sight especially adapted for attachment to a wall and used to cooperate with the strip of Figure 3. I v

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the strip which the strip attached to the picture and that attached to the wall will engage with one another.

Figure 12 is an elevation partly in section of a picture hung on the wall by strips of the type shown in Figures3 and 4.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of part of the back of a picture showing the strip attached to the picture and, in dotted lines, how the wall strip engages with the picture strip, and r Figure 14 isa perspectiveview of a form of strip used in a modified form of my invention.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, the strip shown in preferably formed of comparatively thin sheet metal and has a portion, indicated generally by 2, of rectangular channel formation, this portion having a base 3 and outer wall 4, its inner wall being formed by themain part 5 of the strip. A series of holes 6, through which means for attaching the strip to thepicture or wall may pass, is provided in the part 5.

7 As shown in Figure Figure-2, the strip is weakened in any suitable manner, such as byscoring at regularly. spaced intervals along lines 7 perpendicular to the direction of its length. The purpose of this scoring is to enable the strip to be b roken on to a length convenient for the particular purpose for which it is desired. As shown in Figure 3, the strip may, if desired, have a reinforced portion along the side opposite the portion 2, this portion being formed, by an inturned upper edge 8. The strip shown in Figure 3 is especially adapted for attachment to the picture or like object to be hung and for this reason the intervals between the lines of scoring 7 are compara- .tively small so that the length of the strip broken off to attach'to a picture may be chosen within narrow limits. The strip is provided with a series of holes 9, one between eachline of scoring, for the introduction of screw eyes or other means to attach it to the picture.

In Figures 4 and 5 is shown the strip for attachment to the wall to cooperate with the member of Figure 3. In the wall strip the lines of scoring 7 are spaced at wider intervals since the length of this strip does not have to be chosen within such narrow limits as that of the picture strip. In the wall strip holes 10 are formed in the inturned edge 8 .and holes 11 in the part 5 through which a nail or other securing means may pass, as shown in Figure 4.

It would of course be possible, if desired, to 'usethe strip of Figure 3 for attachment to the wall as well as to the picture and likewise the strip of Figure 4 for attachment to a picture as well as to a wall. i

. Although in the arrangement just described the picture strip and the wall strip Ydifier slightly from ,one another, yet one the upper edge is 1 and in detail instrip could very easily be made to be attached to either picture or wall indiscriminately. In this case, the be spaced as in Figure 3 and both the holes 9 and the holes 10 and 11 would be .provided.

A slightly modified form of strip, where bent over to guide the securing means in an angular direction, is shown in Figure 7.

In Figures 8 and lO'strips are shown having portions of rounded channel formation, while in Figure 9 the strip has a portion of angular channel formation.

The modified form shown in Figure 11 is designed t secure against a picture falling dow-nby being knockedupward to a degree which might be sufficient to disengage the channel portions of the strip shown in, for ins ance, Figure 6. In this modification a projection 12 extends inwardly for some distance from the edge of the outer wall 4 of the portion 2.

Figure 12 is shown the manner in which t..e picture hangs on the wall when the strips according to my invention are used. In the scoring lines 7 would figure one strip is attachedto a wall by nails 13 and the other strip is attached to thepicture by screw eyes 14.

Figure shows the relative lengths of the strip attached, to the picture and that attached to the wall. The strip attached to the lCtLliQ will be substantiall I as lon as the L LL D i PlCbll-FQ'LLS wide, butthe strip attached to the wall ma be of an" desired len th thou h J u u l 1 L c c a 0 a the longer it s tne niorestabllity the picture has. The dotted strin in Fi ure 13 shows l o approximately theproportlons which 1, consider the best between the picture strlp and wall strip.

Figure shows a member of the type.

shown in Figure 4 but in which the outer wall '4 of the channel portion 2has a series of slots 15 formed therein. This form of strip is designed to be attached tothe wall and used when the attachment of a corresponding strip to a picture is not desired.

l Jith the use of this strip it is only necessary to attach two screw eyes to the picturewhich is then held by the engagement of these screw eyes with the slots 15,, as shown diagraminatical y in the figure. .The method described in connection with this figure has the disadvantage of not permitting horizontal adjustment of the picture with-in narrow limits irrespective or" the positionof the wall strip and for this reason I prefer the method in which two strips are used.

I do not intend to limit myself to the invention exactly as shownand described since, particularly in the case of an invention of this kind, all modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention cannot be shown. The embodiments shown should, therefore, be taken only as illustrative of those which fall within the scope of my in vention.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. An arrangement for suspending objects which comprises a strip attached to the object to be suspended and a member attached to the wall from which said object is to be suspended, said strip and said member being formed with cooperating portions defining channels,

the width of said channels being substantially greater than the thickness of the material forming the portions which define them, in such a way that said portions are slidably engageable with one another.

2. An arrangement for suspending objects which comprises a strip attached to the ob- V ject to be suspended and a member attached to the wall from which said object is to be suspended, said strip and said member being formed along one side thereof with cooperating portions defining channels, the width of said channels being substantially greater than the thickness of the material forming the portions which define them, in such a way 1 that said portions are slidably engageable with one another.

3. An arrangement for suspending objects which comprises a strip attached to the object to be suspended and a member attached to the wall from which said object is to be suspended, said strip and said member being formed with cooperating portions defining rectangular channels, the width of said chan nels being substantially greater than the thickness of the material forming the portions which define them, in such a way that said portions are slidably engageable with one another.

4. An arrangement for suspending objects which comprises a strip attached to the object to be suspended and a member attached to the wall from which said object is to be suspended, said strip and said member being formed with cooperating portions defining rounded channels, the width of said channels being substantially greater than the thickness of the material forming the portions which define them, in such a way that said portions are slidably engageable with one another.

5. An arrangment for suspending objects which comprises a strip attached to the object to be suspended and a strip attached to the wall from which said object is to be suspended, said strips being formed with cooperating portions defining channels, the width of said channels being substantially greater than the thickness of the material forming the portions which define them, in such a way that said portions are slidably engageable with one another.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ROBERT CHILION PETER WEBSTER. 

